


Bumped into love

by anna_marlena



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Cas is a teacher, Destiel - Freeform, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, and part time mechanic, claire is cas' daughter, couldn't help myself, dean is a stay at home dad, emma is a baby, happy setting, single dads, super cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2018-06-08 21:11:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6873397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anna_marlena/pseuds/anna_marlena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little girl bumps into Dean at the supermarket. Her dad has the bluest eyes and weirdest sense of clothing ever, but Dean is fascinated. What starts as a playdate for toddler Claire and baby Emma ends in something both Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak hadn't expected</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So. I wrote this, literally 3 or so years ago, but never posted it. I kind of fell out of the fandom for a little bit, but have found my way back home, so I wanted to share this with other people who love the show as much as I do. It is currently at a point where I could end it, but there are more ideas in my head that could happen if I decide to write more. 
> 
> For now, though, just enjoy what there is: total and utterly cute fluff!

Chapter one

Dean pushed his shopping cart along the aisles of the Super Target, his eyes resting on the little girl sitting in the carrier strapped into the cart. The little girl was almost 7 months old now and eager to babble along to her father’s talk, trying to answer the adult. 

Dean had never had someone in his life he loved more than Emma. She was the light of his eye, even though the circumstances around the time of birth hadn’t been the best. He loved her dearly, even more than he loved his brother Sam or his mother and father. He had always had a relatively calm life, but the birth of Emma and her mother walking out on them had turned everything around. Not that he wasn’t happy now, he was freaking ecstatic. But he couldn’t deny being a single father of a little baby girl was damn hard. He wouldn’t want to have it any other way, though. Emma’s mother had made it clear even before the birth that she didn’t want a baby, and had made true of her threat shortly after the four weeks marker of little Emma’s life. She had packed her bags and walked out of the front door of Dean and her one story house, not looking back for a moment, leaving the man and his daughter’s life.

But Dean was fine. He wasn’t all alone with caring for Emma. His mother and father were there whenever Dean needed extra help, as well as his brother and his girlfriend Jessica. Dean had made sure Emma would grow up within an intact family, even if she wouldn’t have a mother, at least not a biological one. Who knew what would happen to him along the way of his daughter’s life. He still had more than 17 years of caring for the girl in front of him, after all. 

Dean was turning around a corner, heading towards the aisles with baby supplies. That was the main reason he had come to the store in the first place. He was running low on diapers and formula, and his mother had taught him early enough not to wait until the last minute to stock up, especially with a baby. Dean loved Emma too much to ever have her without anything her little heart desired. The man already knew the child would be spoilt rotten, not only by him, but also by his uncle and grandparents.

Dean was studying the backside of a pack of formula when he felt something, or rather someone, run into the backside of his legs, followed closely by the thump of someone falling on their behind. Dean turned to see a little girl, not older than four years old, sitting in front of him, eyes wide and lip quivering, as if she was trying her mightiest to keep in the cry that undoubtedly demanded to be let out. 

“Hey there sweetheart, you alright?” he asked softly, crouching down in front of the girl, making sure she wasn’t hurt in any way. The girl nodded tentatively, as if she wasn’t sure that was the right answer to the question. 

“That’s great, you want to get back up?” he asked further, holding out his hands for the little girl to take to help her stand back up. She breathed in once deeply, before taking the offered hand and got back on her feet. 

“I’m sorry” the girl said, looking down at her feet, not meeting Dean’s eyes. 

“That’s alright, sweetheart, no harm done” Dean answered her, grinning slightly. The girl was raised well, well mannered, but at the same time wary of strangers. He hoped Emma would be like this when she was that age, as well. Thinking about parents, Dean looked around, trying to spot an adult belonging to the little girl. He didn’t see anyone.

“Sweetheart, where is your Mommy or Daddy?” he asked softly again, worrying the little girl had lost her way. The girl looked around herself, obviously trying to find her parents, like Dean had done before. 

“Papa said I’m allowed to go to the toy part of the store, because I was a good girl” the girl said, not really answering Dean’s question, continuing to look around herself to spot her father. 

“Well, how about we wait here together until your Papa arrives, alright?” Dean asked, trying to reassure the little girl, who seemed to get a little unnerved with not finding her father near her. 

The girl nodded just when Dean heard a voice behind him. 

“Claire!” Dean turned to see a man around his age arrive in their aisle, pushing a cart just like his along. Dean turned to the little girl, Claire, to see her face break out in a smile and run towards the man, leaping into his arms when she arrived at his side. 

“Papa, I didn’t saw him, but I ran into him, but the mister was very nice and helped me up” the girl exclaimed hugging the man tightly around the neck and then motioning to where Dean still stood, looking over at the display while having his pointer finger grabbed tightly by Emma. Dean smiled slightly at her words and shrugged. Claire’s father came towards him, smiling as well.

“I’m sorry she ran into you. Claire tends to get very excited in supermarkets, especially when there is a toy aisle around” he said, his voice deeper than Dean would have assumed from the look of the man. He was slightly shorter than himself, with dark brown, almost black, hair and bright blue eyes. He seemed to be slightly swallowed in the trench coat he wore over a shirt and tie, the knot loosened a little. 

“That’s alright, there was no harm done. I just wanted to make sure she was alright after she fell down” Dean reassured the man. In that moment he saw Claire’s eyes drift from her father’s face to the little girl sitting in the carrier, babbling along to what she heard the adults say and still gripping Dean’s finger. 

“Who’s that?” she asked loudly, interrupting her father, who was just about to reply to Dean’s words. Dean smiled and looked down at his little girl. 

“That’s Emma, my daughter” he explained and Claire nodded, eyes wide. It seemed she had never been close to such a little child before. 

“She’s tiny, like a baby” she said, making Dean and her father erupt in laughter. 

“Angel, that’s because she is a baby. You used to be this small as well” her father explained, and if it was possible, Claire’s eyes widened even more. 

“Really? Wow!” she said, looking back to Emma for a moment, then back to her father. “Papa, I’m hungry.” Claire’s father nodded and set her down on the ground. 

“Alright then, Angel, let’s find you something to eat and have a break from shopping” he said to the little girl, then looked up at Dean, “It was nice to meet you. Thanks again for looking out for Claire.” Dean just shrugged, waving away the thanks. 

“It was nothing. Have a nice day” he said, waving at Claire, making her grin. “Bye Claire.”

“Bye nice mister” the girl answered, making her father and Dean laugh. 

***

Dean continued to do his shopping, loading the cart with all the things on his list as well as some new pink and peach colored romper suits for Emma that were just too cute not to buy. He was nearing the end of his list when Emma started to fidget around in her seat, letting out noises of discomfort. Dean stopped pushing the cart and lifted Emma out of her seat, letting her rest on his shoulder. Sometimes her being close to her father helped her calm down again. Not so this time, though. Emma fidgeted more and more, letting out mewls of discomfort, being close to crying. 

“Are you hungry sweetheart?” he asked the baby, settling her back in the seat and making his way towards the café area of the shop. He’d have to make a stop there and satisfy his daughter’s needs it seemed. Dean left his cart at one of the empty tables and took Emma back into his arms, taking a pre-made bottle of formula out of the diaper bag hanging of the handles of the shopping cart. He walked over to the counter and ordered himself a cup of coffee, as well as asked the barista to heat up the bottle. Having paid his order Dean walked back to his table, settling Emma in the crook of his arm and rocking her slightly, waiting for the bottle to arrive, so Emma would stop gurgling in discomfort and obviously hungry. 

“Just a moment, sweetheart, your bottle will be done in a moment” he soothed his daughter, stroking her soft cheek with his index finger, trying to shift Emma’s focus from her hunger to his motions. Dean was still glad when the barista arrived with his coffee and the now warm baby bottle. Emma eagerly started drinking, breathing deeply through her nose. Dean loved watching the little girl being this comfortable and happy. 

Emma was an easy child to handle. She had never been the cause of much trouble of sleepless nights. By the beginning of her third month she was sleeping through the night, as if she didn’t want to make more work for her single father. Dean had been glad for that. He didn’t know how he would have managed taking care of a baby on his own if Emma had been a tough child to deal with. Yes, he had taken off time from work, but that didn’t mean he had nothing other to do. Without his mother he probably would have never managed what he did now. Mary had helped the first few weeks after Emma’s mother had left, coming over a couple days a week to watch Emma while Dean managed all the chores around the house. He didn’t have problems caring for Emma, he just had difficulties doing that and keeping the house clean at the same time. But now that Emma was a little older he was getting better at it, able to leave Emma in her play pen for a moment without constant supervision. Still, his mother helped greatly, watching Emma now throughout the days Dean was back at work, which was three times a week. He was slowly getting back into his routine, but wouldn’t ever pull 12-hour shifts again. It would take away too much time he could spend with his daughter, and he didn’t want to miss anything with her. 

While feeding Emma, Dean looked around at the rest of customers in the café. It was a Thursday afternoon, so it wasn’t too full, and the patrons all minded their own business, probably tired after a day of hard work, just at the shop to enjoy a cup of coffee or a slice of cake in peace and quiet. 

Dean looked back at Emma, the girl still drinking her bottle of formula eagerly, while looking at her father with wide eyes. Emma looked a lot like him, you could already see that. Her hair was a light brown color, thin and soft, and her eyes were slowly changing into the piercing green that he sported as well. 

“Look Papa, it’s the nice mister” Dean heard a familiar voice exclaim and he turned to see Claire and her father nearing the seating area from the rest rooms. Claire was pulling the man at the hand, eager to go back to their table, which, surprisingly, was next to the one Dean and Emma were sitting at. 

“Hey Claire, did you get something yummy to eat?” Dean asked when the girl arrived next to him. The girl just nodded, her eyes glued to Emma, who was still sucking at the bottle’s teat, trying to get even the littlest rest out of the bottle. Dean looked back at Claire’s father, who wore a grin on his face watching Claire.

“She has never been close to a baby before” he explained Claire’s curiosity. Dean nodded, understanding what he meant. A baby was a lot different from anything you saw on your normal day, at least for a little girl. 

“She’s so small” Claire said again in a low voice, not wanting to disrupt the comfort in which Emma seemed to be. The girl looked back at her father. “Just like my dolly.” The man nodded.

“That’s right Angel, she’s small just like your dolly” he agreed with her, sitting down at his table. Dean finally pulled the empty bottle out of Emma’s reach and burped her, then settled her back in his arms, so she could look at her surroundings without being constrained in the carrier. Claire still stood in front of the two with wide eyes, her arm reached out halfway between them, as if she wanted to touch the baby, but wasn’t sure if she was allowed to. 

“You can hold her hand if you’d like to, Claire. But you have to be careful” Dean said and the little blond girl looked up at him, a smile bright on her face. She moved a finger towards Emma’s balled up fist and stroked it carefully across the knuckles. She giggled in surprise when Emma loosened her grip and instead curled her tiny fingers around Claire’s bigger one. 

“She’s strong!” she exclaimed, looking at Dean. The man nodded. 

“Yes, she really is. You have to be careful with your hair, she loves gripping hair” he said and Claire nodded. She waited for Emma to release her finger again and then went to sit next to her father, taking a sip from her glass of juice that still stood on the table. 

“Does she do that with her mommy’s hair?” Claire asked after swallowing and Dean smiled wrily. How do you explain to a little girl why Emma didn’t have a mommy?

“No, she does it with her grandma’s and auntie’s her, though. Emma doesn’t have a mommy” he decided on saying nothing more, but Claire nodded in understanding. 

“I don’t have a mommy, either. But my friend Tiffany has a mommy and she makes really great peanut butter cookies!” Claire said in a matter of fact voice. She turned to look at her father, her eyes going wide and a small pout forming on her lips. The man sighed after a moment and nodded. 

“Alright, yes, you can have the cookies” he conceded and the girl smiled brightly. It seemed she had her father wrapped around her little finger. It also seemed as if she was a master in changing subjects in a matter of moments. 

In that moment Emma began to move around in her father’s grasp again, starting to make sounds of discomfort. Dean sighed and looked down at his daughter, downing the last remains of his now lukewarm coffee and stood up.

“Well, it seems like this princess here is getting grumpy. I’m going to have to hurry with finishing the shopping before she starts having a meltdown. It was nice to meet you” he said while strapping the antsy baby back in the carrier and putting his jacket back on. “I’m Dean, by the way.” The man next to Claire stood up as well, motioning for his daughter to rise.

“I’m Castiel. Thanks again for making sure Claire was okay and letting her be around Emma. We don’t really come around babies all too often” he said and held Claire’s jacket for her to slip into. “Say good bye to Dean, Claire.” 

“Bye Dean” Claire did as her father said and waved at the tall man. Dean smiled at the blond girl.

“Bye Claire, enjoy your cookies!” he said and made the girl smile with his words. 

“I will!” she exclaimed excitedly and took her father’s offered hand. They made their way out of the café together and parted ways at the aisle leading up to the register.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Castiel was making his way towards the entrance of the pre-k Claire attended while he was at work. It was just down the road, something Castiel was very glad about. He didn’t like letting Claire stay with people he didn’t know, but she’d have to start getting ready for school sometime. Still, it being so near had its perks. He was able to pop in whenever he was needed with only a moment’s notice and it wasn’t a problem for him to go and get her once school led out.

It was Tuesday, which meant that he was done with teaching earlier than every other day and able to get Claire at two instead of 3:30, like the rest of the week. His car was still parked at the high school’s parking lot, but Claire always liked the short walk back to the ‘big kids school’ with her Papa. 

Castiel climbed the few steps leading up to the building’s entrance, opening the door he stepped through and into the acclimatized hallway leading to all the different class rooms for the children who were divided into little groups. 

The man walked through the hallway towards a bright yellow painted door that was slightly open. He pushed it open further to reveal a class room full with little girls and boys around Claire’s age. His daughter herself was sitting in one corner of the room, surrounded with doll clothes, cradling her baby doll in her arms, pretending to give her a bottle to drink. Next to her sat Tiffany, Claire’s best friend, doing the same. It was play time, apparently.

“Nice to see you, Mr. Novak” Castiel heard a feminine voice say to his left and he turned his head to see Ms Parker, Claire’s teacher.

“Nice to see you, too, Ms Parker” he replied, smiling at the woman. She was very nice, a few years younger than him, and responsible for the girls in this group. 

“I’ll have someone get Claire. She’s been obsessed with her baby doll today. Wouldn’t lay her down, not even during lunch or nap time. She said she had to be fed and lain down as well, because she was a baby and tiny” Ms Parker explained and Castiel grinned. He knew what the teacher meant. Claire had done nothing but play house with her baby doll since the moment she had been home after the last Thursday and meeting Dean and Emma. Claire was convinced her Dolly was her baby now and needed all her attention. 

Well, at least it was harmless play and she wasn’t deciding to be a firefighter or a circus acrobat. She could do that when she was older. 

Ms Parker left and talked to one of the students helping out for work experience at the preschool. The girl nodded and walked over to Claire, apparently telling her she was being picked up. Claire stood up, with her Dolly in her arms and made to clean up around her, then took the older girl’s hand and let herself be led over to the door where her father was waiting with a smile. 

“Hey Mr. Novak” the older girl greeted the teacher when they had arrived at his side. She smiled slightly and then made her way back to help another girl with her coloring. 

“Papa! I had a great day today! And I cared for Dolly really great, because she’s my baby and she needs to be helped, because she is still tiny, like Emma” the girl babbled once she had taken her father’s hand and was led out of the room. Castiel turned back around to wave good bye at Ms Parker, while uhu-ing and ahh-ing at his daughter’s words. He helped her into her jacket, or rather, had to hold Dolly while Claire put on her sneakers and light anorak, and then opened the door outside. He handed his daughter’s ‘daughter’ back to her and together they walked back to the high school and towards their car. 

“And Papa, Tiffany said she knows that babies need help with everything, because she has a little sister, and she’s a baby, too. But Tiffany also said that babies always cry, but that’s not true, us is, Papa? Because Emma didn’t cry when I saw her. She was really nice and laughed, not cried” Claire asked, looking at her father with large eyes. 

“Well, every baby is different, Angel. Some babies cry a lot, and others don’t so much. It’s just like some little girls have blond hair, like you, and others have dark hair, like Ms Parker” he explained and Claire nodded at his words.

“Okay Papa. Can we go to the playground today?” she asked, nodding along to her words. Claire really was the best in changing the subject to suit her needs.

“Sure we can, Angel. But we have to head home first, so you can change into your outdoor clothes, okay?” he said and the little girl nodded. They arrived at their car and Castiel opened the door to the backseat, lifting Claire into her booster seat and strapping her in, making sure that she was seated securely. Claire moaned that her Dolly didn’t have a baby seat, but Castiel just told her she would have to make extra sure Dolly was safe then, and she’d have to hold onto her tightly. 

The drive home wasn’t a long one, and before Claire could really start fretting about her Dolly’s safety without a car seat they had arrived in the parking lot of their apartment building. 

They walked up the flight of stairs and Claire jumped up and down excitedly waiting for her father to open their front door. The little girl ran towards her bedroom, her Dolly securely in her arms, and made to change into her outdoor clothes, while Castiel changed from his work outfit of button down and tie into a more comfortable sweater. He then walked into his daughter’s room to see if she needed help, and promptly began to chuckle when he saw the little girl struggling to get into her sweatjacket, her pair of jeans still half undone. He walked over to her side and guided her little arms through the openings, receiving a bright smile when Claire was able to see again. He buttoned up her jeans and gave her a pat on the butt, making Claire laugh with the motion.

“Thank you Papa! But now I have to change Dolly, or else her clothes will get dirty in the sand box” she said and moved to her doll chest at the end of her bed.

Castiel left the room again and walked into the kitchen, quickly preparing a little snack for them to take with them to the play ground, as well as something to drink. He knew his daughter too well to risk going out without anything to eat for her. Claire could be a real eating machine if she wanted to.

“You ready, Angel?” Castiel called out when he had packed a back pack with the things he had to take with him, and he heard soft feet padding over to the kitchen. Claire was fully dressed, her shoes already on her feet, Dolly in her buggy. 

“Yes, Papa, I’m ready!” she exclaimed, again hopping on her feet. Castiel looked at her while putting on his jacket. It was only the beginning of April, so it could still be a bit chilly.  
“Angel, have you been to the bathroom already?” he asked and Claire stopped hopping around.

“Oops” she simply said and turned on the spot, quickly running towards the bathroom. Castiel shook his head. Claire always forgot to go to the bathroom before they left the house, so it had become a routine to ask her this question every day. He was glad Claire was out of her diaper days and relatively secure in going to the toilet already. It was only on special occasions, like long drives with the car, that she needed a diaper, and even then it was only as a security net, incase their wasn’t a toilet as close as needed. 

Moments later the blond girl came back and after adjusting her clothes, father and daughter, and Dolly, made their way outside again, this time taking the elevator instead of the stairs because of the doll buggy in tow.

The walk to the park wasn’t long, so it was only a short walk until the gates to the playground came into sight. Claire pushed her Dolly through the open door, Castiel following along. They walked over to one of the many benches along the outline of the play ground and Claire unbuckled her baby doll, taking her into her arms, then running off towards one of the climbing structures. Castiel settled into the bench, letting the sun warm his face. He loved the warmer weather and he was glad summer was slowly but surely arriving. He pulled one of his lecture books out of the back pack and opened it to the chapter he had to prepare for class the next week. Castiel often used the time spent on the play ground for preparing his lesson plan. Claire was a very active child, so they spent at least three afternoons per week in this place. Castiel didn’t mind, though. He was glad his daughter was so well developed for her age, able to occupy herself on her own for some time. Castiel was sure she wouldn’t have any problems once she entered kindergarten after summer.

Castiel had to admit that he was very gifted with Claire as his daughter. How she had come to be had neither been conventional, nor really wanted, but once the man had laid his eyes on the little infant for the first time, he had been absolutely in love with the girl. 

Castiel would be lying if he said he hadn’t been surprised by her arrival. He hadn’t expected to see Claire’s mother that one fateful afternoon in front of his door. She had carried Claire in her arms, along with a bag of necessities, as well as a signed paper giving away any custodial rights she had had. She had handed the baby over to the shocked father, put down the bag, and turned on her heels, leaving. 

Claire was the result of a desperate try of Castiel’s father to bring out the straight man in him. He had set up the blind date with the woman, a lovely woman, really, hoping she would be able to sway Castiel from his in his opinion wrong ways of being homosexual. Castiel had ended up getting drunk with her, both quickly realizing that there wouldn’t   
ever be any way to ‘cure’ Castiel. They had gotten along well enough and after way too many shots of Tequila they had landed in bed together. 

Castiel hadn’t heard anything from her until the moment she stood in front of the door with Claire in her arms. 

The first thing Castiel had done after being alone with Claire was call both his brother and sister. They had always had a great relationship, both not caring about what gender Castiel preferred to pursue. They had both come over immediately, and after reassuring the dark haired man that everything would be fine, they had gone out, only to come back with cars loaded full of baby supplies. The next weekend they had transformed Cas’ study into a nursery and settled the little girl into her now surroundings. 

From then on everything had pretty much gone without a hitch for the two. No one really cared that Castiel was a gay single father; they all could see that Claire had a great and stable home, and that was the most important. 

Castiel looked up from highlighting passages in his text book to see what his daughter was up to. She was still sitting in the grass in front of the climbing structure, rocking Dolly in her arms, but her eyes were drifting over to the swing set again and again. Castiel looked over to see what had her so entranced, and smiled when he spotted a familiar figure crouching in front of one of the baby swings. Cas heard rather than saw feet running towards him, and he was soon greeted with his daughter’s brightly grinning face. 

“Papa! Papa, look, there is Emma!” she said to him, her hands balled into tiny fists, a sign of her excitement.

“Yes, I saw that, Claire” Castiel replied, adjusting the hood of Claire’s jacket that had come inside out.

“Can I go over?” the little girl asked in a low voice, as if she was asking her father something forbidden. Cas laughed at his daughter’s antics. Ever the drama queen.

“Sure you can go over. But remember you have to be careful, and you can only touch Emma is her dad says it’s alright, okay?” he told her and Claire nodded. She sat her Dolly into the stroller and then ran over to the swing set. 

Castiel watched his daughter interacting with the man and baby they had met the week before, pointing back to where he sat after talking for a moment, probably to reassure the man that she wasn’t alone in the park. Dean turned to look at him and lifted a hand in greeting, which Cas reciprocated.

Castiel would be lying if he said he didn’t find Dean physically attractive. The man stood even taller than his own 6’ frame, even though only by a bit. Dean had broad shoulders and an all round well built. His facial features, Castiel had noticed in the grocery store, had been both soft and strongly defined at the same time, something he hadn’t ever seen on anyone else before. But the most prominent feature in his face was undeniably his eyes, these bright green eyes. Castiel couldn’t say he had ever seen anyone with eyes like that. 

So yes, Cas would tap that, not that that would ever happen. Dean might be a single father, but what were the chances of there ever happening anything between them? One in a million, for sure!

Castiel looked back at his daughter to see her come towards him, Dean and Emma in a stroller following closely. 

“Papa! Look who I brought with me! Did you see Emma on the swing? She is still so tiny, she can’t use the big girl swing, like I do, she had to take the baby swing, because she is a baby” Claire said, opening a flood gate of words towards her father.

“Yes, Claire, I saw that. Come on, do you want a snack break now?” he asked, calming down his overly excited daughter. Seeing Emma really was something new to her, and new things always made her very excited. 

“Yes! Did you pack something yummy?” she asked and sat down on one side of Castiel, opening the bag and looking through the containers inside. She pulled out one filled with apples and began munching on one happily. Castiel turned back to the man still standing in front of the pair, smiling slightly at the familial interaction.

“Nice to see you again” Cas said to him and Dean looked at him, the smile now directed at the dark haired man. 

“Yes, you, too. When I saw Claire I asked her if she was alone again, but she showed me you were right there” he said and sat down on Cas’ other side. He lifted Emma back out of her seat in the stroller and settled her in his arms. Castiel looked at the little girl with the large eyes, who was currently very engrossed in the rattle she still had in her tiny hands.

“She’s really cute, Dean. How old is Emma?” he asked and Dean looked up, shifting his attention towards the man again. 

“Thank you. She’s a little over seven months now. At first I thought it would be hard caring for her the older she got, but so far, Emma really is a model baby, not making a lot of fuss” he said, a smile grazing his face. It was obvious he was smitten with his child, like he should be. 

“Oh, yeah, I remember Claire being around that age. She hadn’t ever been a really difficult child, but she became a lot more vocal around that age. I’m sure Emma will be babbling and talking to you in no time” Cas said, looking at Claire on his other side, who was now trying to open her drink bottle. When she struggled, he took the bottle from her and unscrewed the lid, then handing it back to her. 

“Yes, I know what you mean. Emma has started to babble along to what people around her say. She isn’t really making any sense yet, but my mom is sure she heard Emma say Dada the last time she watched her. I’ll only believe that when I hear it myself” Dean said, chuckling slightly. Cas could understand what he meant. His sister Anna had been sure she had heard Claire say something along the lines of Papa one time she had watched her, but Cas had only believed her once he had heard his daughter say it himself.   
In that moment, Cas phone started ringing and he excused himself to take it. It was the school’s administrations office, wanting to know about some of his students change of contact data.

Castiel had talked a few moments on the phone, the conversation actually taking longer than necessary, because his opposite on the phone couldn’t find the right files, when Claire stood up and stood in front of him, her little face scrunched up in discomfort. 

“Papa!” she said to him, hopping from one foot to the other, this time not in excitement though, Castiel could clearly see that. He held up a finger for her to wait.

“Mrs Goldstein can you please hold a moment?” he said in the phone and then looked at his daughter. 

“You have to go to the bathroom?” he asked, not even waiting for an answer from the secretary. Claire nodded eagerly, and Castiel was already making to say his good bye to the woman on the phone when Dean stood up, looking at Castiel. 

“I could take her, if that’s alright, so you don’t have to end the call” he offered and Castiel looked at his daughter. 

“Is it okay if Dean takes you?” he asked the girl, and Claire nodded, taking Dean’s larger hand. The man looked down at his own daughter in her stroller, playing contentedly with her feet.

“Don’t worry about her, I’ll look after her” Cas said and smiled reassuringly. Dean nodded once, then turned to lead Claire towards the facility building. Claire really seemed to have to go to the toilet, because she began to pull Dean after her, making quick work of getting to the toilets. 

Castiel resumed his phone call, telling the secretary what she needed to know, while keeping his eyes on Emma in her seat. The call didn’t last much longer, and after saying thanks and good bye, he put his phone back in his bag. 

Emma was starting to get a little fidgety in her position, starting to grumble with discomfort. Without even thinking Cas lifted the infant into his arms, settling her close to his chest to calm her, he rocked her up and down slightly, humming to the little girl, smiling when she started to settle again. He was still good with infants, it seemed, even though it had been quite some time since Claire was this small.

In that moment Castiel heard the voice of his daughter nearing again, and he turned to see Claire talking animatedly to Dean, skipping along next to him. Castiel had to admit, seeing Dean care for his daughter so sweetly made him even more attractive, but the man quickly shook that thought out of his head. He shouldn’t think like that about someone he barely knew. 

“I hope it’s alright I picked her up. She was starting to get a bit fussy” Castiel explained as soon as Dean and Claire where back at his side. Dean just smiled and took his daughter from Castiel, kissing her cheek before settling her against his chest. 

“Yeah, it’s alright. I’m actually surprised she let you pick her up just like that. She’s normally a bit picky with who is allowed to touch her. I’m glad about that though, it’s healthy that she can tell strangers from family. But it seems she had no problems with you” he said, Castiel nodding along to his words. What he said was true. It was important infants learned to be able to distinguish between familiar people and strangers. 

“Anyways, I have to leave now. My parents are having a family dinner, and it’s not a family dinner without their only granddaughter!” Dean said while settling a happy again Emma back into her stroller. “I’d like to continue this conversation, though. I have to admit I’m still a bit scared about what’s to come with Emma, and you seem to be doing well with Claire, so I would love some more tips and tricks, if you don’t mind, I mean.” Cas smiled and looked for a pen and paper inside his bag.

“Sure, I’d love to give out my mediocre advice about being a girl’s single dad! Trust me, I’d have loved someone to tell me what to do when I first got Claire!” he said and handed Dean the paper to jot down a phone number. “Give me your number and I’ll give you a call, if that’s alright. Maybe we can meet up for coffee or something.” Dean nodded and did as he was told, handing back the paper and pen after writing down the digits. 

“Yeah, I’d love that” he said and smiled. He then turned to Claire and gave her a wave. “Bye Claire, maybe we’ll see each other soon again” he said to the girl, who in return gave out a bright, toothy smile and an unexpected hug.

“Bye Dean. And bye Emma!” she said and waved at the baby in the stroller. 

Dean made his way towards the exit of the park, turning once back to wave at Cas, who did the same, smiling to himself. 

Castiel and Claire didn’t stay much longer at the park. He still had some work to do, and Claire needed her bath before dinner and bedtime, so they still had a bit to do at home. He gathered up their things and helped zip up Claire’s jacket, and together the two began their way home, Dolly alongside them in her stroller. 

Castiel looked forward to meeting Dean again. He had to admit, him getting the number hadn’t been entirely altruistic.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

It was Friday. Three days had gone by since Dean had last seen Castiel and his daughter, and still he wasn’t able to get the two, but the father more seriously, out of his head. It didn’t pass an hour without him thinking about the dark haired man with the uncommon name. Uncommon, but strangely fitting. Dean really couldn’t imagine Castiel with any other name. It was his, and his alone, and that made him even more interesting. 

Castiel wasn’t one of these run off the mill people, he was interesting, and interested in things that not many people laid their focus on. At least that was what Dean thought about the man. He was positively intrigued with him. 

And it didn’t hurt that Castiel was on the better looking side of the population. His eyes, these bright blue eyes, seemed to have etched themselves into Dean’s head, following his every thought.   
Dean wasn’t worried over the fact he was thinking about another man in this way. He was secure in his sexuality, preferring both men and women. In fact, come to think of it, Dean had had more boyfriends than girlfriends throughout his years of dating. He knew he was bisexual, and so did the people surrounding him. His family was supportive of whomever Dean chose to spend his life with, it being a man or woman wasn’t of important. After the disaster with Emma’s mother, they were happy as long as Dean was happy.

Dean was more worried about the fact that he started to think about Castiel in this way after only meeting two times. 

He was the first to admit that he used to be king of picking people up when he was younger, but he had become more mature over the years and stopped sleeping around. He was looking for something stable, not for hook up after hook up. Especially with Emma now. He didn’t want to have people going in and out of her life at frequent intervals. He wanted a stable surrounding for her to grow up normally. 

But it was different with Castiel. He was different from any other person he had been with before. He was a father himself, and he knew what it meant to care for someone else other than just himself. He had to look out for Claire the same way Dean had to look out for Emma. To Dean it had felt like they had connected immediately, there was no awkwardness. They could talk freely and that felt good. New, but good.   
But Dean couldn’t get into this over his head. He didn’t even know the man for real. He had met him twice, and nothing more. He didn’t know what he did, where he lived, what happened to Claire’s mother. For all he knew, he could be a mourning widower. No, Dean couldn’t get into this head over heels, without any more inside knowledge. He had to be careful for Emma, and for himself as well. He didn’t want a repeat of the disaster that had been Emma’s mother. Dean would be lying if he said he hadn’t been hurt by her walking away.

Dean was currently at the garage he worked at. He had been lucky with his job, working for an old friend of his father’s, Bobby, who had always been like an uncle to him. It had been no problem to take time off work to care for Emma, and even now that he was working again, there was no problem if he couldn’t make it three times a week. Dean still got his regular wage as he had gotten when he had been working full time. For his whole family, Bobby included, it was more important that Emma was well cared for. They could only imagine how hard it must be for Dean sometimes, no matter how much others helped out, and Bobby didn’t want to make it harder on the boy by shortening his pay. 

Finishing up on one of the paintjobs he had been assigned that day, Dean headed inside into the main building of Bobby’s garage, only to find his brother Sam and Bobby’s wife Ellen deep in conversation. Sam helped out at the garage, sorting through paper work every Friday, to earn some extra money. He was in college, and text books were expensive, even though their parents helped out as much as possible. When Dean walked inside and plopped down on one of the chairs in front of the desk Sam sat behind, the two stopped talking and Ellen made to get Dean a cup of coffee.

“Dean, can you take me home with you later?” Sam asked, not even bothering with a hello. The two had always had a close relationship, being best friends as well as bothers. No matter what, Dean would always have his baby brother’s back and vice versa. Dean more than once had beat up his brother’s bullies during middle and high school.

“Yeah, sure, but don’t you have a car of your own” the older brother asked, and received a groan and from his opposite. 

“Yes, but it made some weird noises during my drive here, so I asked Bobby to look at it. It’s going to stay here over the weekend. You don’t have to drive me home, either, just take me with you to your place and I’ll drive home with mom later” Sam explained and Dean nodded. Sam’s car was an old Volkswagen that always seemed to fall apart whenever it turned a corner. Still, Sam loved it to pieces, because he had bought it himself from the money he had earned by tutoring younger students all throughout high school. 

“I already said yes, you don’ have to beg any further” Dean replied, grinning brightly at Ellen when she handed over his coffee, along with a slice of cherry pie. Dean loved pie, to him, there was nothing better. Especially Ellen’s pie. Ellen was the owner of the Roadhouse, a well known diner in their town, and Dean used to spend a lot of time there in his late teens and early twenties, picking up men and women almost every weekend. He also met Emma’s mother there. 

Dean quickly finished the slice of pie and emptied his coffee, then stood back up.

“I gotta go finish that car, but I’ll come and get you once I’m done for today” he said to Sammy and left with a grin on his face. Pie always made him feel better. 

It wasn’t long until Dean’s shift ended, and the young man stepped back into the building to fetch his brother. The two made their way out together and towards Dean’s car, his beloved ’67 Chevy Impala. Dean had put time and money into his car, his baby, and it was his prized possession. Before Emma, his car had been the light of his eye, his most favorite thing in the world. The impala wasn’t just a car, it was a character of its own.

The drive was short and comfortable, Sam as always complaining about Dean’s taste in music, and Dean threatening to throw his younger brother out and making him walk home. That shut Sam up. He might be athletic and jogged more days than not, he wasn’t fond of walking home in his office clothes, though. 

When Dean opened the front door of his little house, his face lit up hearing his daughter babble in the living room. He started walking a little faster and soon came face to face with his mother cradling the little girl and talking to her, pausing from time to time to let Emma ‘answer’. When Mary noticed she was being watched, she turned to the door and smiled, standing up and walking over to her sons.

“Hello sweethearts” she greeted the boys, embracing each of them in a one armed hug, and then handed a squealing Emma over to her father. Emma had begun to recognize the faces of the people close to her, and now always made a ruckus when she recognized someone she knew, especially so with her father. Dean received her with a smile, and held her close to his chest, burying his nose in the crook of the little girl’s neck, breathing in her scent. The smell of his baby girl always calmed him down and reminded him how lucky he was to have her in his life. 

“I’m gonna make some coffee, alright?” Mary asked her sons and they both nodded, following their mother into the kitchen and sat down at the little breakfast table.

“Sammy, what are you doing here anyways? You left with your car this morning” Mary asked her youngest while busying herself with preparing a new batch of Dean’s favorite drink.

“The car was making weird noises on my way to the garage, so I asked Uncle Bobby to have a look at it and he said he’d have to keep it over the weekend. So I drove here with Dean, so I can get home with you later” he explained and his mother nodded. Sam had just finished his undergrad studies and had moved back in with their parents while he and his girlfriend Jessica looked for an apartment to rent together once they started law school in fall. 

“Alright, I’m glad you were reasonable to have Bobby look at the car. Had it been Dean, I doubt he would have done anything for another while” Mary said with a chuckle and Dean’s head shot up with a start. 

“Hey! One, my baby would never make weird noises, because I know how to care for her, and second, I would never be this irresponsible with Emma driving in the car as well. I wouldn’t risk her well being. Plus, I know how to look over cars, so I would have repaired baby myself” he defended himself, earning another laugh from his mother. 

“Alright, alright, my bad. Anyways, Dean, there was a call earlier. Some Castiel? He said he was a friend and he’d call back, but his number was on the display, so you could do that as well” she said and Dean sat up straighter. He hadn’t known he had hoped so much for Castiel to call him. 

“Have you been holding out on me, big brother? Do you have a new boyfriend?” Sam immediately began to tease and Dean shot him a look that could kill.

“Shut up, bitch” he said, earning a slap over the head from his mother. 

“Language!” she scolded her older son. It didn’t matter that Dean was 26 years old and an adult living on his own. His mother still had power over him. But she also still made him pie sometimes, so it wasn’t too bad.

“Jerk” Sammy answered, quietly, so their mother wouldn’t hear, but the luck wasn’t on his side. His mother also slapped him over the head. 

“Alright, we are leaving now. Have a nice weekend, Dean. If anything is wrong, call please” Mary announced and motioned for Sam to stand up.

“Yeah Dean, call if you need someone to look after Emma because you need some alone time with your new boyfriend” Sam teased again, but shut up when he saw his mother’s look directed at him. Dean stood up with them and led them to the door, waving them off when they backed out of the drive way in his mother’s Honda. 

When Dean had closed the door again, he walked into the living room, took the house line from the station and settled Emma on her play mat, so she could be entertained while he called Castiel. He sat down on the couch, keeping one eye on his daughter to make sure she was okay. 

Like his mother had said, a new number was saved in his phone and he lifted the receiver to his ear, suddenly very nervous. He didn’t know why, though. It wasn’t as if anything was happening between him and Castiel, he didn’t even really know the man.

Dean waited a few moments, listening to the dialing tone of his phone, until the call was picked up.

“Hello?” he heard the strangely already very familiar voice of Castiel answer. Dean let out the breath he hadn’t known he had been holding.

“Yeah, hey, it’s Dean” he answered, his voice more breathy than he liked to admit, or liked it to be. He seriously had to get a grip. “My mom said you called, so I thought I’d get back to you.”

“Yes, that’s right, I did call. You know, this might sound really crazy, but Claire has been talking about nothing but Emma the last few days, and she’d really like to have a play date. I mean, I know Emma is technically too small to even have a play date, and I told Claire that, but she insisted on having me ask you anyways” Castiel explained. Dean didn’t know if he was only imagining this or if it was there for real, but Castiel sounded really flustered and nervous about asking. 

“That’s alright. I mean, yeah, maybe Emma is a little too young for that still, but if Claire really wants to see and play with her, why not? You could give me some more tips about what to expect with Em while you’re here” Dean reasoned, slightly grinning. The prospect of seeing Castiel again soon really made him happy, and he didn’t dare think about what this might mean to him. 

“Great, I’m glad I don’t have to disappoint Claire. So, what about tomorrow? It’s a Saturday, and we don’t have anything planned yet. I mean, of course, if another day would fit better with you, that’s alright as well, but I just thought a weekend would be best” Cas suggested and Dean nodded to himself. 

“Tomorrow sounds great. I hadn’t planned anything yet, either. How about you come over at around three? That way Claire has enough time to try and entertain Emma, and we have enough time to discuss baby stuff” he agreed, and smiled when he heard Castiel release a breath on the other side of the phone. 

“Great, just give me your address and we’ll be there at three tomorrow!” Cas enthused. Dean did exactly that, and after a short good bye he put down the phone next to him on the couch. 

 

The next morning Dean stood up earlier than he ever would on a Saturday. Of course he couldn’t sleep in with a little baby demanding attention in the next room, but it was still earlier than usual. After taking care of Emma and making sure she was fine, he settled her on her play mat and made to pick up around the house. He didn’t know why, but he had the urge to clean the house before Castiel and Claire would arrive. His house wasn’t dirty, no, but Dean still found things that weren’t in order or in the wrong place. He then prepared Emma’s lunch and fed it to her, trying to stall time until their guests would arrive.

When he really couldn’t do anything else, he picked his baby back up and sat down on the couch with her settled on his chest. Emma babbled happily, obviously enjoying the close contact to her father. 

“You have no idea how easy your life is, princess. Daddy is having a bad case of nerves, you know that? And it’s really stupid for Daddy to be this nervous, because nothing is going to happen” Dean picked her up and held her in the air above his head, making her squeal in delight. He then lowered Emma back down, burying his face in her neck, breathing in and placing a kiss on her chubby cheek. Dean was ready to be called a sap for this, but he loved his daughter like it was nobody’s business. 

When Dean had lain her down again on his chest, he twisted in his seat and stretched out on the couch. He still had enough time until Castiel and Claire came to squeeze in a much needed snuggle and nap time with Emma. He folded his arms around Emma’s little body, making sure she wouldn’t slide down from his chest and closed his eyes. He was sure this nap would help him calm his nerves. Being close to Emma always did that. 

He woke again about an hour later to Emma gurgling loudly and fidgeting around in his arms. He stretched once and then took the baby upstairs to change her diapers and for himself to change into something a bit more appropriate than his sweatpants and old AC/DC shirt.

The door bell rang just when Dean came back downstairs with Emma in his arms. He walked over to the door, breathing in once (why he didn’t really know) and then opened it. It was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders the minute he saw Castiel and Claire smile at him. 

“Hey there! I hope we aren’t late” Castiel greeted the man and pushed Claire forward into the house once Dean had moved aside to let them through. He grinned brightly at the little girl in Dean’s arms and stroked over her cheek tenderly. Dean saw Emma’s eyes go wide for a second, but then her face erupted in a smile and she squealed in delight, stretching her arms slightly in Castiel’s direction. 

“Well, someone is happy to see me!” Castiel said, taking Emma’s hand in his larger one, grinning when her little fingers closed around his thumb. 

Dean had to admit he was very surprised by the reaction from his daughter. She never was that happy to see people unless it was someone from her family. In fact, she was rather shy around people she didn’t know. It seemed that one time Castiel had held her had made a great impact on the little girl’s favoritism regarding people. 

“Well, I guess she approves of you being here” was the only thing Dean managed to say to this. He led the guests into the living room, grinning at Claire who was obviously very excited to get the chance to ‘play’ with Emma. Dean put the little girl down on her play mat, and motioned for Claire to come closer. 

“Well, I don’t know if you can really play with her, but you can try. There are a few toys in that bag” he motioned to one side of the mat, where a small bag was situated, “you just have to very careful with her, because like you know, she is still a baby” he explained to the girl and stood back up from where he had crouched in front of both his daughter and Claire. He watched Claire slowly edge closer to the baby on the ground, smiling tentatively, and holding out a stuffed bunny with overly long ears. Claire’s face brightened when Emma let out a squeal and grabbed for the animal. It was her favorite thing to chew on, so of course it had the desired effect. 

“Do you want something to drink?” Dean asked Castiel when he turned away from the girls. The dark haired man smiled and nodded, and together they walked back out of the living room and towards the kitchen. While Castiel sat down on a chair at the table, Dean pulled out mugs from the cupboard above the sink.

“Coffee?” he asked and Castiel nodded. It wasn’t long until their drinks were done and with their mugs, and a cup of juice for when Claire got thirsty, they went back into the living room, to keep an eye on the little girls there. 

For the first few moments, no one said anything, both men nursing their coffee. It should have been awkward, but surprisingly it wasn’t. It was as if they had known each other for longer than just the few days they actually did, and as if their relationship to each other was already settled somewhere safe. 

“Well, how old is Claire?” Dean eventually asked, breaking the silence that was only slightly underlined with the squeals and laughs from Emma and Claire. At the subject of his daughter, Castiel smiled. 

“She just turned four. The weeks leading up to her birthday were almost unbearable. She asked everyday if it was her birthday already. I felt kind of bad having to tell her, no it wasn’t her birthday yet. She always looked so sad when she realized she would have to wait another day” he said, grinning at the memory. 

“That’s really cute. For just four years she speaks really well, though” Dean noted and Cas nodded.

“Yes, she does. I’m a teacher and so is my sister, so we kind of just started talking to her from the get go. It just evolved really quickly from babbles to actual words. Angel was only six months when she said papa for the first time” Castiel explained. Dean understood that reasoning. Of course a baby would start getting to know words and speaking when she was constantly talked to. Dean had to keep that in mind. He didn’t want Emma to start speaking too late. 

“I’ll have to keep that in mind. What’s with the nickname, anyways? Why angel?” Dean asked further, starting slightly to feel like a really weird stalker, wanting to know so much about the little girl. Castiel didn’t seem to feel that way, though, because he eagerly delivered an answer. 

“Well, it really just started as a joke from my brother. All my siblings and I are named after angels, Castiel, Annael, Gabriel, Michael. And Claire wasn’t. So Gabriel one day bought an angel plush doll for Claire. It was her favorite toy of all time. She still has it in her bed every night. She always chewed on the angel’s wings. I guess it just kind of stuck, calling her angel, so she could be an angel, too.” He explained and chuckled. Dean had to laugh, too. He looked over and saw his daughter with one ear of the bunny in her mouth. 

“Well, if chewing on plushy’s appendages is a criteria for choosing nicknames, I’ll have to call Emma, bunny. She has this one ear in her mouth all the time. For now she’s my princess though” he said and both men had to laugh.

“Well, that’s a very cute nickname, too. I don’t really think there is a rulebook of choosing nicknames, anyways. You can call me Cas, by the way, everyone does” Castiel reasoned, nodding along to his words. 

The men continued to talk some more, asking questions about the girls playing next to them. They didn’t stray from that topic, though, Dean deeming it relatively safe territory. Of course he was curious to know about Claire’s mother, but he doubted it was appropriate to ask something like that the first real time they met. It wasn’t his business and he wouldn’t urge anyone to talk about something they didn’t want to. He didn’t want to talk about Emma’s mother either, so why should Cas?

Before they knew it, a few hours had gone by, and it was nearing dinner time and Emma’s bed time. 

“Do you want to stay for dinner, maybe? It’s already starting to be time for preparing something” Dean asked and Cas shrugged. 

“Sure, if you don’t mind. Hey Angel?” he asked, turning to look at his daughter. When Claire looked up from Emma, he continued. “Dean just asked if we wanted to stay here and have dinner. Is that alright with you?” Claire’s smile was answer enough. 

“Alright then, first Emma needs to be taken care of, though” Dean said and smiled, getting up from his seat on the couch. 

“Well, how about you take care of Emma and I’ll see what I can scramble together for dinner?” Cas suggested and Dean smiled at the man. This would make everything a lot easier and faster. 

“Yeah, that’s a great idea. Come on, I’ll show you where everything is in the kitchen” he answered, picking up Emma from the ground and helping Claire up to her feet, then ushering her in front of him towards the kitchen. 

Like Dean had said, he showed where everything was in the kitchen, telling Cas to take whatever he needed for dinner. He then turned to Claire and smiled at her. 

“Do you want to help me get Emma ready for bed?” he asked and his heart swelled when he saw the look of complete happiness in Claire’s face.

“Really?” she asked, and when Dean nodded, she jumped up and down excitedly. “Yes please!” 

The three made their way up the stairs, Dean making sure Claire held onto the banister tightly, and walked through the hallway towards the bathroom next to Emma’s nursery. It wasn’t a large bathroom, but it would be the one for his girl once she got older. 

Dean set Emma down in a support cushion he always kept in the bathroom and set the mini tub into the larger one, turning on the water and adjusting the temperature. 

“Claire, can you bring me a towel? They are in that cabinet over there, but be careful with your fingers when you close the drawer” he asked the little girl and Claire eagerly shuffled over to where Dean had pointed.

“This one?” she asked when she held one of the hooded towels in her hand and Dean nodded. He made to pull off the baby’s clothes and gently settled her in the bathtub, resting her against the chair that was integrated into the tub. He kneeled down in front of the bathtub and slowly began to wash Emma’s little body, smiling when the baby began to giggle. Emma always loved having a bath. 

Once the baby was clean, Claire helping with passing over bottles of baby shampoo and body wash, he wrapped the infant in the towel Claire had picked out. He carried Emma over into her nursery, motioning for Claire to follow him. With a foot he pushed over a little step stool towards the changing table, so Claire could see what was happening. Dean changed Emma into a new pair of diapers and her pajama, then held a pacifier in front of her mouth, which Emma immediately accepted. 

“I had a binky too when I was a baby” Claire told Dean with big eyes, making the man smile. 

“Yes, but you don’t need one anymore now, do you? You’re a big girl now” he said and Claire nodded greatly.

“Yes, I’m a big girl, and big girls don’t need binkies” she said, stepping down from the step. The three made their way back downstairs, Claire holding onto Dean’s hand for more support. It was always easier for little children to go up the stairs. 

When they arrived in the kitchen they were met with the smell of cooking food. Cas turned around when he heard them enter and smiled. 

“I decided on creamy chicken with rice, if that’s alright” he announced and Dean smiled widely. He didn’t know why, but this felt…right. 

“Yes, sure, I’m not picky” he said, walking over to the fridge and pulled out a premade bottle of formula for Emma. He heated it up with water quickly, then settled at the table, resting Emma in his arms. He could see Claire watching his every move from where she sat opposite him. 

The baby eagerly received her bottle and drank all up, leaving nothing in the bottle. Dean burped her once on his shoulder, then settled her against his shoulder. 

“Well, I think I will take this little one up and to bed before our dinner is ready” he announced and walked around the table towards Claire. “Say good night, Emma” he said with a smile, holding the baby close to the little girl. Claire giggled and pressed a light kiss to the baby’s puffy cheek. Dean then walked over to Cas at the stove, holding Emma close to him as well. “Good night, Cas!” 

Cas only grinned, but leaned into the baby as well, stroking the little cheek and ‘booping’ her on the nose. 

“I’m right back” Dean said, leaving the two alone in the kitchen.

Like he had said, a few minutes later, Dean reentered the kitchen, baby monitor in his hand. He opened the cabinets and took out plates and glasses, setting the table. He handed Claire the cutlery, so she could help as well. Within moments they had a set table and sat down at it, waiting for Cas to finish with the cooking. To Dean, it felt as if they were playing house. It was unreal, how nice this felt, but he didn’t want it to end. 

The three enjoyed their meal together, both men listening to Claire telling them exactly what she did with Emma over the course of the afternoon, agreeing with her and answering at the right moments. 

When dinner was done, Cas started running water over the dishes, while Dean settled Claire into the living room with a Disney movie. He then walked back into the kitchen, helping with cleaning the dishes and picking up around the kitchen. Once they were done with that, they settled back at the table, both with a mug of coffee, and continued talking about everything that came to mind and was at the same time in safe, non-awkward territory. 

They didn’t know how fast the time passed, but when Cas looked at the clock on the wall the next time, it was nearing 11pm. 

“Well, I guess we’re going to leave now. It’s already way past Claire’s bedtime. I’m surprised she hasn’t come in yet” Cas said and Dean nodded. They both stood up and walked over to the living room, grinning once they saw the picture they were met with. Claire was curled into a ball on the couch, her head on a throw pillow, a blanket from the arm rest over her little body, cradling Emma’s favorite stuffed bunny to her chest. 

“I guess now we know why she didn’t come into the kitchen” Cas whispered, moving over towards the couch and picking up his daughter, cradling her to his chest. Together they walked back to the front door. Cas pulled on his shoes, taking Claire’s into his free hand, along with both their jackets.

“I really had a nice time today, and I’m sure Claire did, too. If you have any more questions about being a single dad, feel free to call. I love helping” Cas said, grinning slightly. Dean’s heart warmed at this. He really liked Cas, he was a nice man, a good friend already, even if they had only known each other for less than two weeks. 

He opened the front door and let his guests out. 

“Drive carefully, okay?” he said, standing in the doorway and watching Cas maneuver Claire into her seat without waking up.

“I will” Cas replied, smiling at the man waiting in the door. He opened the driver’s side of the car, but stopped and lifted his hand in good bye before entering the car. Dean copied the motion and waited to go back inside until Cas had backed out his car from the drive way and turned into the street. 

When Dean was back inside, he sat down on the couch and sighed. He really would have liked to hug Cas in good bye.


	4. Chapter 4

“Are you sure you are going to be fine? I have my phone on in case something is wrong” Castiel asked the younger woman standing in the doorway to the kitchen while he was pulling on his jacket and shoes. 

“Castiel, stop talking and get out of this house. It is not the first time I have watched Claire. We do this every week” Anna replied, rolling her eyes and giving her older brother a look Cas didn’t particularly like. 

“Yes, alright, I got it. Let me just say good bye to my angel” he said, giving up trying to tell Anna that he was always reachable. She was right, Anna looked after Claire every Wednesday evening. Cas stepped quietly into his daughter’s bedroom, the little girl already lying in bed, hugging her angel doll tightly and looking at the book she would read with Anna later. 

“Alright, Angel, I’m leaving now. Anna is going to stay with you until I come back later, alright?” Cas asked, kneeling down in front of Claire’s bed. 

“Yes, Papa, I know. Auntie Anna and I are going to read this book together before sleeping” she said, smiling at her father. The look in Claire’s eyes made Castiel calm down. He was really overreacting. Like Anna had said, this wasn’t the first time he left Claire in her care. 

“Alright, Angel, be good to your aunt, and sleep tightly later” he said, accepting the embrace from his little girl, as well as the slightly sloppy kiss to the corner of his mouth. 

“I’m always good. Bye Papa, I love you” she said, releasing her hold on her father and settling back in her many pillows. 

“I love you, too, Claire” Castiel said in good bye and turned out of the bedroom. 

“I’ll see you later, Anna. Like always, just take whatever you need from the kitchen or whatever” Cas said to his sister and opened the front door. 

“I know Cas, I’ve been here before” Anna replied, but gave her older brother a small smile. It was cute to see him so flustered about his daughter’s well being. It happened every week.

Castiel walked down the flight of stairs and out of his apartment building. He reached his car and got in, turning on the heat so his car could warm up. It was only April, after all. 

The drive to the bar he was headed to wasn’t that long, and Cas knew the way in his sleep. Every Wednesday he would meet there with his brother Gabriel and his best friend Balthazar for drinks and the needed guy-time. Well, at least that’s what Gabriel said. Cas didn’t ‘need’ the time away from his daughter. He loved her too much. But Gabriel was right in saying he needed to get out from time to time. So the three men had arranged that day of the week to belong to them, and them only. Anna had agreed with Gabriel’s reasoning, volunteering to watch Claire while the father was out. 

Castiel parked his car in the lot of the bar, looking the doors and made his way towards the entrance. It wasn’t really packed yet, what with it being only 7pm and a Wednesday, but Castiel still liked the atmosphere of it. It felt homely. 

Castiel walked through the room towards the table the three men always occupied. His brother was already sitting in one of the chairs, a cup of coffee in front of him. They weren’t in the bar to get drunk, so they never really ordered any alcohol, unless someone was in some sort of social crisis and couldn’t deal with it without the help of some liquid luck. But because Balthazar was the third in their round, it happened more often than Cas liked. He didn’t like getting drunk, he had a daughter to care for. 

Gabriel looked up from his phone when Castiel sat down opposite him.

“Hey, Cas! I can’t believe you are here before 7.30pm. Did Anna kick you out of your own house, or were you finally able to leave without making a huge fuss about leaving Claire with our sister” Gabe said in greeting, his eyes glinting with the joke he just pulled on Cas’ expense. Gabriel knew exactly how very much Cas cared and worried about his daughter, but that didn’t mean he didn’t make jokes about it.

“Shut up, Gabriel. I’m never later than 7.30” he rebutted, but smiled when the waitress walked towards their table. 

“Hello there, Clarence? What can I get you?” she asked, turning over a new page on her little note pat to jot down Cas’ order. 

“Hey Meg, I’d like to have a coffee for now. I think we’ll order food once Balth has arrived” he told the dark haired woman, smiling brightly. Meg had worked at the bar ever since the three men first started spending their time there every week, and she had become some sort of friend to him. She did have a fixation on calling him Clarence, though. Why, Castiel didn’t know. 

“Alright, then, I’ll be right back” Meg said, giving another smile, then turned around and walked towards the counter. 

“Alright then, Cassie, what’s been going on with you? Anything new?” Gabriel asked once the woman was gone, and Cas shrugged. He didn’t really want to tell Gabriel about his budding friendship with Dean yet. He didn’t even know if there was anything to tell. And Gabriel would only tease him about having a crush on someone he didn’t even really know yet. Which would not at all be true. Castiel didn’t have a crush on Dean. Right?

“Gabe, there is nothing going on with me, I still work five days a week and have a daughter, nothing more. You are the exciting brother out of the two of us” Cas decided to answer. It really wouldn’t do anyone any good if he started telling people that he had met someone he actually liked. After all, he didn’t even know what Dean’s deal was, if he was just separated from Emma’s mother, or if maybe she had died or whatever. And this didn’t even include his sexuality. There was no way of telling if Dean would even be interested in any men, not just him.

“Okay, maybe you are right, Cassie, I am more exciting than you are. Your life is boring, I get around the bedrooms of lovely young shop owners who’d like to sell my candy!” Gabe said with a flourish, opening his arms to have his imaginary audience admire his form. Gabriel had always craved attention, and Castiel was sure he would never change. 

“Yes, Gabe, we know you are wonderful and better than the rest of us” Cas then heard a voice from behind him, and he turned in his seat to welcome his friend. Balthazar sat down on the last empty chair, smiling at the two other men.

“Yes, my dear Balthazar, I am wonderful, I know that. Keep telling me this, though, I like to hear myself confirmed” Gabe said with a grin, and Castiel could only shake his head. He didn’t know why he even associated himself with these men. They were eccentric and craved drama, completely different from the way he was himself. 

In that moment Meg arrived with Cas’ coffee, and she smiled at the new guest at the table. 

“Hey Balth, what can I get you?” she asked, her voice slightly snarky, the way she always spoke to Balthazar. Castiel wasn’t really sure, but he had the suspicion there had been going on something between the two of them. 

“Oh, sweetheart, you can get me many things, but for now I just need a whiskey on the rocks, please!” Balthazar drawled, grinning at the woman across from him. 

“Coming right up, Balth, but don’t be too sure about the rest I’ll give you. You never know with people” she said, grinning as well. With Meg it really was always fun and play. Castiel considered her a friend after the years of seeing her every week.

“What happened that you need whiskey for, Balthazar” Castiel asked when Meg had left again. The blond man let out a big sigh, his shoulders dropping. 

“My publisher. They are just too demanding! I’m not a machine, I can’t just produce something to fit their needs. I need a muse to get inspiration” he moaned, letting his head fall back in desperation. Balthazar was a writer, but he wasn’t doing all that well. He had writer’s block more often than he hadn’t. In the years Castiel had known the English man, he had only published two books. Which wasn’t much for almost ten years. They had met in college, both studying history as one of their subjects.

“You don’t need a muse, you need to get laid, Balthazar” Gabe quipped, earning a look from Castiel. Gabriel always brought the level of any conversation into the gutter. 

“Trust me, dear Gabriel, I get laid often enough for that being the problem” Balthazar replied, winking at Meg who had just brought him his drink. The waitress rolled her eyes, but didn’t lose the smile, so she wasn’t offended. She shouldn’t be, she had known Balthazar long enough now to know he was only playing around.

“I’m sure you’ll work something out. Maybe you just need to get out of your normal surroundings for a bit, go on vacation and clear your head” Castiel suggested, trying to bring their conversation back to the original subject. 

“Anyways, we know that Balth sucks at writing, so we shouldn’t continue talking about it I think. We don’t want our favorite English man to be upset” Gabe finally said, earning a slap over the head from Balthazar. “What is my favorite little niece up to lately, anyways, Cassie? Claire is way more interesting than you and Balth combined” he changed the subject gracefully. Sometimes Cas thought Claire had inherited that trait from her uncle. 

“Well, she’s good. Can’t stop talking about Emma though” Cas relented. He liked talking about his daughter. He hadn’t thought about his answer though, because right then the conversation was steered into a direction Cas didn’t actually want it to go.

“Who’s Emma?” Gabe immediately asked, cocking his eyebrow. He knew all of Claire’s friends, they talked at least twice every week on the phone, and he had never heard of an Emma. 

“She’s the daughter of a… friend” Cas anwered, settling on friend for now. It was more difficult to explain his and Dean’s situation, though. Were they friends already?

“A friend? Cassie, why don’t I know you have a new friend?” Balthazar butted in now. Really, these two men had a way too big interest in Castiel’s private life. 

“Well, we met two weeks ago, I don’t even really know if I can call it a friendship yet” Castiel finally revealed, deeming it useless to sugarcoat what was going on. Gabe and Balth would urge as long as they would get the whole story anyways, so why expose yourself to harassment. 

“Aw, how cute, Cassie has a crush” Gabe exclaimed loud enough for the people sitting at the next table to look up. Castiel threw his brother a dirty look, shaking his head. 

“I don’t have a crush, I barely know the guy” he said, not exactly lying, at least not about all of it. He really barely knew Dean. 

“But you want to get to know him really well, don’t you, Cas? You want to get to know him inside and out!” Balth continued where Gabe left off. Castiel scowled in the blonde’s direction. 

“Stop it, both of you. I don’t even know if he is swinging this way. All I know is that he is a single father of a five month old, really cute, little girl.”

“Well, then you should find out! You need to call him and ask if he wants to go out for some drinks. Start talking, digging, you know?” Gabe suggested, holding up a hand to stop him when Castiel started to shake his head. “Come on, Castiel, you have been single for how long? Four years? Five? Except for the little stint in the hays with Claire’s mother, you have been dry humping your pillow the last years, am I right?” he asked. Cas didn’t deem his question worthy of an answer. 

“Dude, I get it, you are a single father and want to keep Claire safe. You don’t want people going in and out of her life all the time, and that’s fine, really. But you said this Dean dude has a daughter as well, so clearly he wants the same for her. It won’t hurt to test the waters, just see if there is even a chance of him being willing to go for it. If not, well, then that won’t mean the end of the world” Balthazar said then, his voice sobering from the constant sarcastic tone he normally talked with. Castiel considered his friend’s words. Maybe he was right. It wouldn’t hurt to just see what happens. At the very least, Dean and he could get to know each other better and maybe become real friends. Claire was already a bit attached to the man, so it wouldn’t hurt her. And Castiel had to admit that he was really fond of Emma. She was adorable. 

“Maybe you are right. Maybe I should just call him and ask if he’d like to go out for some drinks” Cas admitted, and the two other men at his table grinned in success. 

“We are right, Cassie, not just maybe” Gabe said, patting his brother on the shoulder. He then waved Meg over to their table so they could order some late dinner. 

***

When Castiel arrived home later that night, he still wasn’t entirely sure if calling Dean and asking him out would be the right idea, but he would just do it anyways. He had to be daring for a change, and what was the better time to be daring than to maybe make a friend, or something more. 

The man opened his front door quietly, trying to make as little noise as possible, so as to not wake up his daughter. He peeked into Claire’s bedroom, smiling when she saw her wrapped into her blankets with her arm around her angel doll. Cas closed the door again and then walked into the living room, where he found Anna curled up on the sofa watching one of her many favorite TV shows.

“Hey, you’re back later than usual” she said when he sat down next to her, stretching his legs under the coffee table. 

“Yes, Balthazar was being his moany self again, and then they both persuaded me to call this guy I met tomorrow. I really don’t know if it’s a good idea, I don’t even know if he’s bi or gay anyways” Cas told his little sister, and Anna smiled. She shuffled in her seat and rested her head on her older brother’s shoulder. The two had always a very tight relationship, telling each other everything. It had been Anna who Cas had told first that he was gay. And Cas was the first one to get to know that Anna actually didn’t want to become a doctor like their father expected, but that she wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. 

“Well, it never hurts to gain new friends. Does he know about Claire?” the young woman asked quietly. 

“Of course he knows about Claire. He is really sweet with her. He’s got a daughter himself, she’s five months old” Cas explained and Anna nodded. 

“Well, that’s the most important thing, isn’t it? That he gets along with Claire. It doesn’t matter if nothing happens between you other than friendship. That would already be great, wouldn’t it?” Anna reasoned and now it was Cas’ turn to nod. 

“Yes, maybe you are right. Anyways, it’s getting late and it’s a work day tomorrow. Do you want to stay here for the night? I don’t want you to drive home if you’re too tired” Cas asked, sitting up straight again. Anna got off the couch as well, stretching her arms over her head. 

“Naah, that’s alright, I’m not too tired. I also don’t have any clothes here, so I’d have to leave tomorrow morning to get changed, and you know I’m not a morning person, so getting up even earlier than usual? No thank you” she said and grinned. She shook her head to get even the last bit of tiredness out of her body, her red hair surrounding her face like a halo.

“Alright then, let me bring you to the door” Castiel relented, ushering the younger woman out of the living room. 

“Don’t worry too much about everything, Cas, okay? Everything is gonna work out fine” Anna told her brother again, then slipped out of the door and closed it behind her. 

Castiel made his way towards his bedroom, unbuttoning the shirt he wore and changing into flannel pants and a shirt to sleep. He laid down on his bed and sighed. His siblings and best friends probably were right, everything would work out somehow. 

*** 

Cas sat down behind his desk the next day during lunch. He took out his and scrolled through his list of contacts until he came upon Dean’s number. Cas swallowed and sighed once, then pressed the dial button and held his phone to his ear. He hoped Dean was home, he didn’t really want to again talk to his mother, explaining who he was. 

After three or four rings the line was picked up and Cas sighed in relieve when he heard the familiar deep voice that was Dean’s. 

“Hello?” 

“Yes, hi, it’s Cas” Cas said, in his opinion way to fast and breathy. Seriously? He was just starting the conversation and already he sounded ridiculous. This entire deal was ridiculous, but it was too late to back out now. 

“Hey Cas, how are you?” Dean asked on the other side, and Cas wasn’t too sure, but he could have sworn he heard a sigh from the other man. But this could also just be his head playing games with him. 

“I’m fine, thanks. Anyways, like, I told you last week I’m always open for giving you some more advice, and I though, like, we could maybe go out for drinks or something, and talk. That’s just an idea, though, if not that’s totally fine, really” Cas started, getting way ahead of himself. Really? Cas felt like a complete fool right about now. 

“That sounds great actually. I know this really cool place, well, it’s the bar from my uncle’s wife, but they make really great food and drinks, so maybe we could go there. How about Saturday? I’m free the entire day, Emma can stay with her grandparents or something” Dean suggested, and a huge weight lifted from Castiel’s chest. So Dean wasn’t completely opposed to the idea. Great!

“Yes, that sounds good. Claire stays with my brother on Saturday, so I won’t have to worry about her either. How about around six?” he asked, his voice getting back to his normal tone now that he knew that Dean was alright with him asking. It wasn’t as if this was a date, anyways. 

“Yes, that sounds good. Give me your address and I’ll pick you up at six, that way you won’t have problems finding the Roadhouse. It’s a little out of the way” Dean suggested. Cas told the other man his address and said his good bye, breathing deeply when he lowered his phone to the desk. 

Well, here goes nothing!


	5. Chapter 5

At four o’clock in the afternoon that Saturday, Dean pulled up in front of his childhood home. He got out of the Impala and rounded the car to open the door on the passenger side. He unhooked the baby carrier from its base and set it on the ground, Emma sitting in it, smiling and chewing on the ear of her bunny. He then grabbed the diaper bag he had packed with his daughter’s belongings needed for the night she   
would stay with her grandparents. 

Laden with child and bag, Dean made his way towards the front door. He didn’t even have to ring the door bell, because just as he was reaching the steps leading up the porch the door swung open and revealed his father smiling at him and his granddaughter.

“Hey Dad” Dean greeted the older man when he was relieved of the bag on his shoulder. They moved inside and into the kitchen, where Mary was already pouring out cups of coffee for her husband and son. Dean set Emma down on the empty chair and let himself fall into the one next to it. 

“Thanks Mom” he said, taking the cup from his mother’s hands and taking a sip. 

“What are you up to tonight to need a babysitter?” John Winchester asked while smiling at his wife in thanks for the coffee. 

“I’m going out for drinks with a friend” Dean explained, not mentioning the fact that he and Cas had only met about two weeks ago and that he had really weird feeling for the dark haired man. Feelings that shouldn’t be there yet, not after only two weeks. 

“Oh? Do we know that friend?” Mary probed. She was always eager to hear about her sons’ lives, especially with Dean not living at home anymore. 

“No, you don’t. We only met recently, but he’s nice, so we are going to the Roadhouse tonight” Dean said, taking another sip and tickling Emma’s feet, letting her erupt in giggles. “You talked to him on the phone   
last week though, Mom” Dean added with an afterthought. 

“That’s him? He sounded very nice” Mary remarked, finally sitting down as well. 

The family kept talking for some more, until Dean had finished his coffee and stood up. 

“Alright, I need to leave or I’m going to be late” he said and sighed. He opened Emma’s harness and lifted her out of her seat, pulling her close to his face and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. 

“You be a good girl, alright, princess? Be nice to grandma and grandpa” he said to his daughter, grinning when the girl answered in undistinguishable babbles. He walked with her in his arms towards the front door, where he then passed Emma over to his father. 

“I’m going to pick her up around noon tomorrow, alright?” he asked, but Mary shook her head. 

“Just leave the carrier base here and we’ll drop her off at your place tomorrow. We are invited for lunch at Bobby and Ellen’s, so you are right on the way” she explained and Dean nodded. He quickly walked out and unhooked the infant carrier base from the seat, then setting it on the ground next to the front door on the porch.

“Alright. If anything is wrong, I have my phone on, and if you want me to pick her up after all, just call” he said, leaning into his daughter again to kiss her once more.

“Dean, this isn’t the first time Emma has been over. Everything will be alright, trust me” John remarked, grinning at the over protectiveness of his eldest son. 

“I know, I’m just a sucker for my baby girl. Alright, I’m leaving now. Have a nice evening” he said with a sigh, receiving a kiss on the cheek from his mother and a pat on the back from his father. He turned and walked towards his car, waving once when he opened the door. Dean started the car and backed out, waving once more, then turned into the street. 

It didn’t take Dean all too long to get back home, his parents’ house wasn’t far from his own, which Dean found to be very useful in situations like the one he was in this evening. He wouldn’t have been able to get to his parents with a short notice had they been living further away. 

Before he started getting ready for the night out with Cas, he quickly picked up around his house. He had been in a bit of a rush while packing Emma’s overnight bag, so he hadn’t had the time to clean up the mess left in the kitchen from feeding the girl her lunch as well as her play area in the living room. Dean could only imagine what big messes his daughter would make once she would be able to walk or crawl and get into all kinds of places. The older the child the bigger the mess it would seem to be. 

After being satisfied by the look of his house, Dean made his way upstairs and into his bathroom, turning on the water in the shower so it could heat up while he undressed.

After showering and shaving, Dean walked into his closet, looking for clothes that were appropriate to wear for this outing. He didn’t want to seem too eager, it was just a few drinks with a friend, after all. He didn’t want to look as if he didn’t care, though, either. 

In the end Dean settled for a button down open over a shirt and jeans. Casual was the look for the evening. He then walked back into the bathroom to dry and style his hair, as well as put on some cologne. 

Looking at the alarm clock on his bedside table, Dean was surprised it was almost 6:30 already. He’d have to get a move on, finding shoes and a jacket, so he’d be at Cas’ place in time. This wasn’t any sort of a date, but he still didn’t want to seem rude and be late. 

Dean hastily walked back downstairs, trying to make up for the time he lost finding appropriate clothes, and promptly stubbed his toe on the door frame.

“Son of a bitch!” he exclaimed, taking in a harsh breath, swallowing the rest of the profanities that were making their way up his throat. This was not the time to throw a fit because of a stubbed toe.

He moved through the pain, which really was quite a bit, and put on his shoes and jacket. He checked his pockets for his wallet, phone and keys, then opened the front door to leave his home. 

Dean was surprised to find Cas didn’t live too far from his home in a nice apartment complex. But then again, they had met at the playground, and they had both arrived on foot, so it really wasn’t that hard to figure out, if you used your brain now and then, at least. Dean parked in the lot and made his way up to the doors leading into the stairwell. He noticed something he hadn’t thought about before, then. He had no idea what Cas’ last name was, so he didn’t know which bell to ring. He also hadn’t given him an apartment number, so he couldn’t go with that either. 

With a sigh at his stupidity not to ask about this, Dean pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He had saved Cas’ cell phone number after he had called that Thursday, just in case something came up. Like it was right now. It rand twice before the call was accepted. 

“Hello?” Dean heard Cas answer, his voice questioning.

“Yes, hey, it’s Dean. I’m standing in front of your building, but I have no idea what your door bell is” Dean admitted, feeling slightly stupid, as if he was back in high school and on his first date with someone he really liked. But this wasn’t a date. He didn’t even know if Cas was into men, it had never come up. Why should it?!

“Ah, yes, I guess I forgot to tell you my apartment number. Well, anyways, I’m right out, just a minute” Cas replied, laughing slightly, at himself or Dean the man outside didn’t know. 

“Great, Imma be outside” Dean said and the call disconnected. Dean stepped back from the door and leant again his car crossing his arms in front of his chest. It really was still quite chilly in the evenings. 

Like Castiel had said, the light in the stairwell lit up only moments later and he appeared in the hallway. He opened the door and closed it quietly behind him, then walking over to Dean with a smile. 

“Hey” he greeted the other again, and Dean smiled. He stepped away from the car and walked towards the driver’s side.

“You ready?” he asked and Cas nodded, opening the passenger’s side and sitting down in the Impala.

“Nice car” he remarked when he was inside, stroking over the smooth leather of the dash of the black car.

“Thanks, I rebuilt her myself. Found her in the garage one day and just couldn’t leave her to get even more rusty than she already was” Dean explained, smiling slightly while talking about the second love of his life. 

“I have no idea about cars. I always freak out when my car makes a weird noise and immediately drive to the shop to have it looked at. Most of the times it’s nothing and I get laughed at, though” Castiel admitted, grinning slightly.

“Well, you never know what weird noises could result in. I would take her to the shop as well if I hadn’t learned how to look after cars. Especially with a child driving with you. You don’t want to risk anything, so I understand what you mean” Dean replied with a shrug.

“I guess you’re right. I just don’t want anything to happen to Claire. So I’d rather drive up to the shop once too often than to have an accident while my daughter is in the car” Cas reasoned. The two fell quiet after that, but again it wasn’t uncomfortable. 

They reached the Roadhouse after a while, and Dean parked in his usual spot next to Ellen’s car. The two men got out and walked over to the entrance. The bar/diner was filled with people chattering and laughing, a jukebox was playing music in the background.

Dean motioned Cas to follow him as he weaved through the tables and walked towards the bar, where a blonde girl was just serving drinks. The girl began to smile brightly when she spotted Dean and left her customers to their devices while she walked around the counter.

“Dean!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the man and squeezing tightly. When she loosened her grip she took the man’s face between her hands and placed a kiss smack on his mouth. She then stepped back and smiled even more when she saw the man behind the one she had just greeted.

“Hey, I’m Jo! Nice to meet you!” she said and held out a hand. Dean saw Cas frown, but take the offered hand and shook it. 

“Yes, nice to meet you, too. I’m Castiel” he answered, his voice taking on a weird twinge. Dean didn’t know what it was about, but Cas didn’t seem all that comfortable. 

“Well, Joanna Beth, do you have a table for us?” Dean asked, turning back to the barista. The blonde nodded and led Dean and Cas to one of the tables in the dining area.

“Jess is going to be with you in a moment. I think she’s on the phone with Sam right now” Jo announced, then walked back to where she was supposed to work behind the counter. 

“So… uhm… is that, like, your girlfriend?” Cas asked as soon as Jo was out of earshot. Dean looked up from the menu he was perusing, even though he didn’t need to. He frowned.

“Jo?” he asked and when Cas nodded, he began to laugh. “God no! She’s my oldest and best friend! She’s the daughter of my uncle’s wife, who owns this bar. Jo and I have known each other since we were babies” he explained and Cas nodded. Dean didn’t trust the calm, though.

“Do you ask because of the way she greeted me?” he asked further and Cas shrugged. 

“Well, it’s not how I greet my best friend” he said and Dean smiled even brighter. Did he sense a slight case of jealousy? Dean had to store this information for later use.

“Well, Jo has a weird way of showing she likes you. The more she likes someone, the more open she is with affection. I guess I’m her favorite person” Dean explained further and Cas nodded again. It looked as if his shoulders were relaxing a bit more. He started looking through the menu, asking what Dean could recommend. That was a hard question, because Dean loved all food served at the Roadhouse. 

The two looked through the menu in silence when Dean heard another person approach and he looked up to see his future sister-in-law walking towards their table.

“Hey Dean! It seems like I haven’t seen you in ages” the blonde exclaimed and leaned down to hug Dean tightly. She then smiled at Cas opposite of Dean. “Hi, I’m Jessica” she introduced herself, much like Jo had done only a short time before. 

“Cas, that’s Jessica, my brother’s girlfriend. Jess, that’s Cas” Dean explained further and grinned when Castiel smiled at the waitress. It seemed he wasn’t threatened by her. If he even was feeling threatened with Jo. Maybe Dean was just interpreting way too much into Cas’ antics. 

“Alright, anyway, what can I get you?” Jess asked, whipping out her notepad from the pocket in her apron. 

“You know what I want Jess” Dean said, grinning slightly. He couldn’t wait to get his fingers onto a nice burger and fries. Jess nodded and jotted something down, then looked at Castiel questioningly.

“I’ll have the double cheeseburger with fries and a coke” he ordered, and both Dean and Jessica grinned. When Cas frowned at their antics, Dean grinned wider. 

“We ordered the exact same thing, Cas” he explained and saw Cas’ smile break on his lips as well. He then turned back to Jessica. “Ellen’s in right?” he asked eagerly.

“No, she isn’t, Jo took her car” Jess answered and Dean’s face fell. No Ellen meant no-

“Don’t worry Dean, she had Jo take some pies with her. I’ll make sure there will be enough for you two later once you are finished, alright” she reassured the older man and Dean’s smile was back on his face. 

“I love you, Jess, do you know that?” he said to her and received a whack across the head. 

“Don’t let your brother hear that” Jessica answered and moved away.

“I won’t tell if you won’t” Dean called after her, resulting in Jessica turning and pulling her tongue at him. She then left to give the order to the kitchen staff. 

“Well, you seem to know everyone here!” Cas said once they were left alone again and Dean nodded. It really seemed like that to an outsider. 

“Yes, I mean, I was here a lot during my late teens and early twenties. Practically every night… It helps when the owner is practically your aunt” he said with a shrug. Cas nodded at that. 

“So, where’s Claire tonight?” Dean asked to change the subject. As nice as it was to talk about family, he didn’t really want to do that right now. 

“She’s with my brother. She loves it there, because he is a ‘candy designer’ as he calls himself. And there are always new sorts of candy at his place” Cas explained, smiling slightly. It seems like Cas was just like Dean himself, loving to talk about his daughter. 

“Not with her mother?” Dean asked before he could stop himself. He didn’t want to ask, but at the same time really wanted to know. Castiel frowned at the mention of Claire’s mother. 

“No. Claire doesn’t have any contact to her mother. I have full custody of her” he said, his voice void of emotions. Dean nodded. It wasn’t long until Dean had full custody over Emma himself. At least if everything went the right way, which he was sure it would.

“Why not? If you don’t mind me asking” Dean prodded, feeling a little bad. He didn’t want to talk about Emma’s mother, so why would Cas talk about Claire’s?

“No, I don’t mind. It’s a little complicated, though” Castiel started, stopping only shortly while Jessica brought over their drinks. “Claire’s mother and I never were a couple. It was more of an accident really. Getting together like that was never supposed to happen, really” he said and it was Dean’s turn to frown. 

“If you don’t mind me saying, but I wouldn’t have pegged you for a one-night-stand kind of guy” he said and Castiel nodded. 

“That’s right, I’m not. This occasion was set up by my father” he simply said, and Dean’s frown deepened. Cas took a sip of his coke, then continued. “He saw it necessary to set me up with a woman to get me back onto the right path.” 

“I don’t think I can follow” Dean admitted, but he had an inkling where this was going, and a feeling rose in his stomach. Maybe…

“I’m gay. And my parents were everything but okay with that, so my father arranged a meeting with a very nice young woman for me. We met, but the girl quickly realized there was nothing to ‘straighten out’ in me. Se we started drinking, laughing about my father’s medieval views. We got drunk and one thing led to another. I didn’t see her after that until she stood in front of my door with Claire in her arms, and a signed custodial paper, transferring all rights over to me. That’s the last I have heard from her” Castiel rushed through his story, seemingly wanting to be done with it. Dean was impressed. It surely was hard to be a single father after being abandoned, but it had to be so much harder being thrown into it without a moment’s notice!

“Kudos to you, Cas! I don’t know what I would have done if that had happened to me. I was already out of it after Emma’s mother walking out on us, but having a baby put into your arms without any warning and explanation must have been the shock of your life time!” Dean said, truly impressed. 

“Well, I made the best of it. My one brother, Gabriel, and my sister Anna helped me out a lot. My oldest brother is a bit of a different story. I mean, he’s not like my parents, he still acknowledges me as a part of his family, but he isn’t the one to initiate the contact” Cas retorted with a shrug. “You said Emma’s mother walked out on you?” he changed the spotlight to Dean’s own story. Slowly the man nodded. He wasn’t comfortable talking about Emma’s mother, but Cas had revealed his story, so Dean couldn’t very well refuse to tell his. 

“Yes. Emma was six weeks old when her mother decided she didn’t want to be bound to a family after all and packed her bags. She came back a week later to get the rest of her things and that’s about it. I have seen her in court twice now, because I still haven’t full custody, only temporarily, but she isn’t at all interested in my princess. It was hard at first, I had to stop working from one day to the other, but somehow everything is working out so far” Dean explained, downing half of his glass after finishing. He could really use a whiskey now. He wasn’t upset about being left anymore, no, it was the fact that Emma’s mother didn’t care in the slightest about the girl that made Dean furious.

“What do you work as?” Cas changed the subject, and Dean could have kissed him for it. Apparently it was clear that Dean didn’t want to talk about what had happened. 

“I’m a mechanic. I work in my uncle’s garage, have ever since I finished high school. That really helped with leaving without any notice. My uncle was more concerned with Emma’s wellbeing than me going to work. I’m really glad I have family that is so supportive” Dean said, and Cas nodded. 

“Yes, I don’t know what I would have done without Gabe and Anna. They practically got everything for Claire, while I sat in my apartment staring at her. But my boss was very lenient with me as well. I’m a teacher at the high school, but the school district understood my situation and let me take a leave of absence for a year without any problems. I don’t know what I would have done if there had been problems” he admitted. Dean could understand what Cas meant. They practically were in the same situation, only Cas had been in it for three years now, and Dean for only 5 months. 

The two continued talking throughout their dinner and dessert, the barrier between them broken. Talking to Cas was easy and Dean found out he had a lot in common with the other man. Cas was only two years older than him, so they had grown up in the same time span and found out they liked, and used to like, a lot of the same things. 

It was as if the time flew by, and before they knew it, it was nearing midnight. Knowing he had to be up at lunch the next day, Dean suggested paying and leaving. He could see Cas trying to hide a yawn, so he   
figured it didn’t seem as if Dean wanted this to end. Because he really didn’t. He wanted to find out as much as he could about Cas. He wanted them to get close. He didn’t care that he only had known Castiel for two weeks, they were getting on and he wanted to make the most of it. Dean adored Claire and Cas seemed to like Emma, so there didn’t seem to be a problem either. But he’d have to see if Castiel would be up for another meet up. 

The two walked out the diner and to the Impala, getting in at the same time. They drove in silence until Dean got up the nerve to ask Castiel out again. 

“So, do you have anything planned for Tuesday afternoon? I thought we could maybe all go to the playground again. I’m sure Claire wouldn’t have anything against that!” he asked. He figured it would do well to include the children, so it didn’t seem as if Dean was only interested in Castiel and not the whole deal. He wanted to pursue Castiel, and he knew the man only came in a pack with his daughter. 

“Yes, sure, why not. Claire loves going out. School finishes earlier on Tuesdays, so we would even have more time. Claire and I could come over to your place and then we could walk together. Your house is right on the way” Cas agreed, smiling. The two set a time to meet, and before they knew it Dean was pulling into the lot of Cas’ apartment building. 

“Well, I really had a nice evening, Cas. It was a good idea to suggest going out” Dean said when Cas opened his door. “I guess I’ll see you and Claire on Tuesday.” 

“Yes, we’ll be there, you can count on it!” Cas replied with a smile and got out of the car. He turned to wave at Dean when he backed out and Dean copied the motion. 

On his way back to his home Dean couldn’t keep the smile from his face. It seemed like he had a date on Tuesday, even if it was only on the playground and included two little girls. He couldn’t wait for the days to pass!


End file.
